


Death and all his Friends.

by WolfDogstar



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/M, First War with Voldemort, Gay Remus Lupin, Gay Sirius Black, Gen, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Multiple Pov, References to Depression, Sad James Potter, Sad Lily Evans, Sad Remus Lupin, Sad Sirius Black
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2019-04-30 17:21:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14501847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfDogstar/pseuds/WolfDogstar
Summary: Reality of life hits home as Fleamont and Euphemia Potter pass away due to Dragon Pox. In the wake of war, James and Sirius slip into depression and the Marauders struggle to get their life in order and save the people they love most before it's too late.Can be read as a stand alone series.





	Death and all his Friends.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own anything.

The soft morning sunlight filtered through the white curtains of their drawing room as James sat with a cup of coffee and a copy of The Daily Prophet dated the day before. It was still early and Lily was asleep in their bed, very naked, under blue sheets. Auror training had been hard on all of them. But James had woken up with an unsettling feeling in his gut and hadn't been able to fall asleep again. Could it have been only four hours since they'd fallen asleep, panting from their nightly endeavours. James smiled as he thought back to Lily moaning his name. But as much as he would like to wake Lily up and have another go at it, she needed the rest. They both did. But the queasiness in his gut won't go away and he didn't know if it was an actual physical problem or just physical manifestation of the tens of issues he would have to deal with today at training again.  
The world outside came to life slowly. The honking of the traffic below increased exponentially and drowned away the chirping of the birds and the chattering of the squirrel that had made itself a home on one if their window sheds. James read through another article about a bunch of people who disappeared last week.

**Two bodies recovered....Killing curse....You-Know-Who gathering support of the wolves in the south.**

  
_Remus._

  
That took away the little pieces of quite he had hoped to retain. His thoughts are interrupted by the hooting of an owl at his window. It was Oro, their family owl. As James took the letter from it's mouth, it hastily flew away.

  
The letter was carelessly folded in a hurry and James wouldn't have recognized the script as his mother's, had it not been for the nickname she used with him.

  
The untidy letters said-

  
_Jamie,_  
_Your father fell sick two days ago. It didn't seem serious. But last night it got worse and I took him to St. Mungo's. The Healers are running test now but it seems like Dragon Pox to me._  
_-Mum._  
  
James read the letter over and over again. There must've been some mistake. This couldn't be happening. Not now. Not ever. He stood rooted to the spot, letter in hand, unable to move, unable to breath.

  
" James?" Lily's sleepy voice pierced the loud silence that had settled on his ears.

When did he get to his bedroom?

" James..come'er.." Lily sat up, pulling the covers up with her.

  
When James didn't move, she woke up a little more. Something's wrong.

  
" What is it?" She asked clearly this time.

  
" Dad's...dad's got Dragon Pox." James said. His tongue felt like paper being rubbed into hot sand.

  
Lily hurried up and put on the sweat shirt that she had thrown on the floor the previous night and pulled James gently to the bed. His legs felt leaden, heavy. He could barely move.

  
" Sit...Sit down. Breath okay?" James kept staring at Lily. Blankly.

  
She noticed the letter in his hand and took it. Reading through it, she felt her stomach churn. Dragon Pox.

Okay. They had to really know what was going on first.

  
" James. James look at me." Lily said gently. Kneeling on the ground to be at eye level to James. He reluctantly did as he was told.

  
" We need to properly know what's going on. Okay? That's primary. This could be the worse case scenario. Mum says that the Healers are running tests. And Dragon Pox is treatable now."

  
" In children..." James said hoarsely. " At dad's age..it's...de..deadly."

  
" We don't know that." But Lily knew it was a lie. Fleamont was almost sixty years old. No one has ever survived Dragon Pox at that age.

  
James's pressed his lips into a light line. These were consolations.

  
" Okay. So let's go to the hospital first and talk to mum..and see what the healers have to say."

"Okay." James said automatically.

  
James and Lily dressed up in haste and apparated to the hospital.  
 

* * *

  
" Last night was awesome, by the way." Remus whispered not wanting to break the early morning stillness.

  
" Hmm.." Sirius said as he snuggled closer to his boyfriend.

  
They should've slept. Remus thinks with a sigh but their Auror training had all of them on edge. None of them could sleep unless they were dog tired. Even then Remus couldn't sleep. The full moon, four days back. hadn't been too taxing on him but left him sore. They'd spent last night talking and dozing off intermittently. But Sirius kept dreaming that he was falling off some edge and woke up with a jerk every time.

  
" Sorry you couldn't sleep because of me." Sirius said running a finger over Remus's chest.

  
" No. It's fine." Remus kissed his hair.

  
" I love it when you're horny around the full moon..." Sirius mumbles again.

  
" I bet you do." Remus chuckled.

  
" I don't wanna leave."

  
" Neither do I." Remus sighed. " But we have to be at training in two hours."

  
He untangled himself from Sirius who wouldn't let go off him." Mooney...come on..two hours is a long time." He whined.

  
" We need to clean up." Remus said heading towards the bathroom.

  
" Can I join?" Sirius asked rolling over in the now empty bed.  
" Nope."

  
" We could just kiss." He giggled.

  
" Yeah..we both know that won't work.." Remus said closing the door behind him.

  
Sirius stared at the celling for a while and let the static hiss of the shower drown any other sound. He wasn't thinking of anything particular.

  
He needed a smoke.

  
He scrambled off the bed, put on his boxers and lit a cigarette inhaling deeply as he stood by the open window. A squirrel scurried away with a nut on the tree over looking him. Mothers were waving goodbye at school bound children on the streets. Sights like these often lit up fires of jealousy at the pit of Sirius's stomach. He loved his life now but couldn't imagine why his mother had never loved him just enough to wave him goodbye at Platform 9 and 3/4. Domestic bliss always made him jealous and he tried like hell to make it woke between him and Remus. Remus helped him through it all and for that he was forever indebted to him.

  
With the cigarette still hanging off his lips, he went to the kitchen to make breakfast. He let the coffee brew, warmed the milk for Remus's tea and set the bread to toast. All these could easily have been done with spells but ever since he'd taken up Muggle Studies in school, he enjoyed muggle technology. It was Sirius who had insited they have a proper kitchen and invested time in cooking when ever he could.

  
" Sirius..that god awful smell..." Remus grumbled from the bedroom. " If you have to smoke, smoke something a little more classy. This is like shit..."

  
Sirius grinned as he walked back to the bedroom and made way to the bathroom. " Go make the eggs. I'll be out in ten. "  
 

* * *

  
" Fleamont Potter." James said to the bored receptionist.

  
" Magical Bugs. Second floor. Healer Amelia Kores." She read from a chart robotically.

  
" Thanks" Lily said as James was already making his way up to the second floor.  
Once there, he couldn't find his Mr. Potter anywhere.

  
" Where's Fleamont Potter?" James asked a nurse, panicked.

  
" Fleamont Potter..." The nurse looked through her list. " Are you his son?" She asked.

  
" Yes." James said.

  
" Please wait here. Healer Kores will shortly be out to talk to you." She said.

  
" I just wanna to see my father. Where is he?" James growled but the nurse didn't cower.

  
" Mr. Potter. You just need...." But the nurse was cut off by another voice.

  
" Mr. James Potter?" A female voice called him.

  
James and Lily turned to look at the voice.

  
" I'm Amelia Kores. You father's healer. Please come with me."  
James and Lily follow the Healer noiselessly till she stopped outside a closed door.

  
" Okay. So..this'll be hard. Your father has Dragon Pox. We tested him and he is positive...."

  
" But it's treatable right?"Lily hoped the Healer's answer was positive but all her hopes were crushed when she looked at them sympathetically. " At his age..it's impossible."

  
James staggered but supported himself against the wall before Lily could help.

  
" We've quarantined him. You can visit him but he's unconscious right now."

  
" Is my mother inside?" James asked and cold horror griped his heart when the healer looked quite uncomfortable and said," Your father's progression is quite rapid. She was exposed. We are testing her now."

  
Lily gasped in horror as she supported herself against the wall beside James.

  
" But let's not worry till we have to. Mrs. Potter's test will be done in a few more minutes. You can visit your father till then."

  
James and Lily didn't notice when the healer left them. They are numb from the load of information that's been dumped over them.

  
" We should go and see him." Lily said but she doesn't recognize her voice.

  
They entered the room but weren't read for the sight that greeted them. Mr. Potter was behind a glass wall, at least three monitors beeped as they kept track of his vital signs. Almost his entire visible portion of the body was green. It made James's stomach lurch.

  
" Dad..." He whispered. There was no answer. " Dad..come on please. Wake up."  
At first James just rapped against the glass wall but then he started banging.

  
" Dad come on..."

  
" James..James..listen.." Lily held his hands. " He's unconscious now okay? We need to wait.."

  
" No. Lily..No. Dad never makes me wait. He wakes up even in the middle of the night..if I call him once. Just once...I can't give up, Lily...I can't.. "James banged on the wall again.

  
" Stop. James, I know. I know. But this won't do. Let's go and see if mum is done with the tests okay." And even as Lily wanted to believe that she was leading James away from a painful situation, deep down she knew that this was just the beginning of all their sorrow.  
 

* * *

  
" Where's the hell is Potter and Evans?" Alastor Moody shouted over the cacophony of noises in the room of the Order's headquarters. Sirius and Remus looked at each other across the room, worried.  
Something's wrong.  
They were supposed to be here hour ago.

  
" Black. Lupin. Care to share?" Moody looked at them.  
Remus shrugged while Sirius said," We don't know."

  
There was a knock on the door and Moody answered. Nothing could be heard over the voices in the room. Marlen, who had been hitting on Remus for years, was in the Order too. She came over to talk to him but Remus's concentration was else where. He strained his ears to pick up on the voices at the door. It was James and Lily.  
He looked at Sirius to tell him that when Moody called them. " Black. Lupin. Over here."

  
" Excuse me." Remus said as politely as possible and slipped out of the room with Sirius in tow.

  
" What the hell happened?" Sirius asked as he saw James and Lily's dishevelled state. They were both in their sweat pants and shirts looking ghastly.

  
James was barely holding himself together. He had just narrated the whole incident to Moody and was in no state to do so again. He looked at Lily to help him and she spoke.

  
" Mum and Dad have been diagnosed with Dragon Pox. Mum's still okay. She has tested positive but hasn't shown any symptoms yet but dad's unconscious and it's...bad." Lily's voice cracked at the end as her lips quivered and she turned back and took a few steps away from them.  
Remus's reaction mirrored hers as he pressed his palm to his mouth trying to keep his gasp in check and process the information.  
Sirius hadn't heard anything beyond the first line. He stood rooted to the spot unable to move. He felt heavy, as if the entire gravity of the world was pressing down on him. He would be crushed any second now.

  
" We need to go." James managed to croak. The worse of his fears hit him as he saw his friends reactions. This is the end.

  
" Do not go to Godric's Hollow. I'll send someone to disinfect the house first." Moody said.

  
" Thanks." James sighed. " We'll go to the hospital."

  
James and Lily walked down the long corridor. Lily extended her hand to hold James's and he took it willingly. Remus wondered if Sirius would take his hand that willing after what he'd just heard. It was going to be a long and difficult road ahead.

  
" We need to go too." Remus said. Sirius was still rooted to the spot staring far away.

  
" Go." Moody said as he went inside again.

  
" Sirius.." Remus whispered, unsure if he should even be talking right now. He lightly touched Sirius arms and that made him snap.

  
" Just leave me alone." He said as he pushed inside a washroom and closed the door behind him.

  
Remus sighed as he waited outside patiently. He knew Sirius always snapped easily under stress and this was worse. Way worse. Mr. and Mrs. Potter were practically Sirius's parents. They saved him. Sirius couldn't imagine his life without them.  
When Sirius came out after fifteen minutes, he looked exceptionally pale. His face was dripping with water as was his hair. His tee was almost wet. But he looked resolved. Remus knew that it was façade. A very strong one. But now there was nothing he could do now. Hundreds of other things needed doing.

  
" Let's go." Sirius whispered and Remus obliged.   
 

* * *

  
The next two days passed in a flurry of activities. James and Sirius constanly ran bewteen home and hospital trying to make their parents comfortable. Mr. Potter hadn't woken up since and it was all chaos because Mrs. Potter was kept quarentined too and she couldn't see her husband.

  
" Mum they can't let you see him." James said forcefully.

  
" Jamei. I'm already exposed. What would it matter? He hasn't woken up and..." He voice choked. " I just want to say goodbye."

  
" No one is saying goodbye to anyone." Sirius said as he walked into the room.

  
" Sirius.. please."Mrs. Potter pleaded.

  
" I'm trying to convince them to let you see dad but there's hospital policy and I won't do it if you want that chance to say good bye. No one says goodbye. Please." Sirius stood close to the glass.

  
" Sirius. We both know where this is going. There' no point in having false hope. I need to say goodbye to Fleamont." She said holding her hand up on the glass to where Sirius's cheeks were.

  
" No. You never gave up on me. I'm not either. You two will fight. Fight okay? I'll see what I can do." He said and left without turning back.

  
" He loves you and dad more than I do." James said from where he had sat down on a chair. " Always has."

  
" Jamie... "

  
" What am I going to do if both of you die?" James looked up helplessly at his mother.  
She smiled sadly. It made he wrinkles more visible. She pushed back grey streaks of hair from her face.

  
" You have a wonderful wife..."

  
" Girlfriend..." James scoffs.

  
" I'm sure she's gonna be your wife. You have Sirius, Remus and Peter. You can survive. You can live. Death is inevitable."

  
" Mum..yes..but not now..it's too early."

  
Before Mrs. Potter could say something, a huge crash in the hall way followed by Sirius's stream of curses had James running out of the room.  
Two male nurses were holding him back as he screamed at someone James couldn't quite see.

  
" Hey..Sirius..calm down." James glared down the nurses holding him and held his brother.

  
" He' s here." Sirius hissed through clenched teeth. " Orion Black is here."  
James turned to see the huge figure of Orion Black standing behind him. He loomed at a distance looking quite pleased with himself.

  
" If you shout and get angry, you let him win Sirius." James whispered. " Let's walk away okay?"

  
" How's Fleamont Potter? Dying like his namesake.." Orion spat.

  
" You son if a bitch. He saved me...from you. " Sirius yelled.

  
" Walk away..Sirius.." James whispered dangerously into his ears again even though he wanted to rip Orion's throat out.

  
" Saved you?? He condemned you...."

  
" Walk away sir." James said, his voice ice cold as he faced Orion. " You will die alone. You've already lost one son. Are you sure you won't loose the other one too?"

  
" How dare you?" Orion boomed.

  
" Father. " Sirius pointed his wand at Orion's chest. " Walk away now. Or I'll kill you. I will not hesitate."

  
Orion looked murderously at his son but before he could say anything else guards requested him to leave.

  
" This isn't the end." He fumed and bellowed away with his black cloak flying behind him.  
 

* * *

  
" Where is he?" Remus asked as James recalled the incident when Remus and Lily arrived.

  
" He's locked himself in some bathroom stall half an hour ago...." James said.

  
" You should check in on him Jamie. I'll be fine. " Mrs. Potter said worried. " My poor son. Curse the Black."

  
" No I really think Remus should go." James said. " Go Remus. He's not on this floor though. I checked."

  
Remus sighed and went to look for his boyfriend. He found Sirius on the fifth floor bathroom stall. It didn't surprize him.It was the waiting room but people seldom went up there. He should've checked here first. Would've saved him the aching joints.

  
" Hey." Remus whispered as he opened the door.

  
Sirius was just sitting there on the closed toilet seat, his hands lying uselessly on his lap. He nodded back in acknowledgement.

  
" I heard."

  
" After five years he still makes me feel like shit." Sirius sighed. " I haven't seen him in five years and when I do, instead of cursing me he goes on to do that to my real dad..." Sirius racked his and pulled at it. " It's all my fucking fault." He sighed.

  
" What is?" Remus asked unsure of what Sirius was refereeing to.

  
" This. Me." Sirius said pointing at himself. " My fucking fault is existing."

  
" Sirius..No.." As Remus moved closer to Sirius, he pulled him closer and rested his head on Remus's abdomen . Remus combed Sirius' s hair with his fingers while Sirius tried to compose himself. Sirius sighed and looked up after a while and Remus caught his lips in a kiss.

  
" Thanks. I needed that." Sirius said. He looked really tired.

  
" You should go home for a while. Get some sleep. Lily and I are going to stay. Peter will be back today too." Remus requested.

  
" I can't." Sirius massaged his forehead as he squeezed his eyes shut. " I keep having that dream about falling when ever I close my eyes."

  
" I can come with you." Remus said as he squeezed Sirius's free hand. " You haven't slept in three days..."

  
" Have you?" Sirisu asked and it caught Remus off guard. He hadn't thought Sirius would notice that amidst this mess.

  
"Yeah..yeah..I have.." Remus stuttered.

  
" I know you haven't" Sirius said. " You look horrible. You look shittier that you do after a full."

  
" I feel it too." Remus said giving up and letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

  
" I know. Let's go down. They'll be looking for us." Sirius said as he got up and splashed water on his face. Remus followed.

  
" I need coffee." Sirius said as they walked down the stairs.

  
" Me too." Remus said as Sirius looked at him surprized.

  
" You hate coffee."

  
" Desperate times." Remus said with a sad smile that mirrored Sirius's emotions.

 


End file.
